A Roadmap to London's Emerging Art Scenes

Raised between Belgium, Kenya, Switzerland and New York City, Nahema Mehta is no stranger to traveling the world–and she's made discovering emerging artists her top priority while doing so. Here, the art entrepreneur and CEO of Absolut Art took us on a tour of England's capital in honor of #BritWeek.

Seeking out emerging talent is wonderful detective work and revolves around deepening relationships with artists, curators, and collectors. Art fairs are full of promise if you have the patience to weed out the darlings from the duds. Frieze Week in October is a must–the whole city chimes in with programming, private viewings, and parties. While Frieze Masters and Frieze London boast big-ticket items, surrounding fairs like 1:54 and Multiplied are great for scouting international up-and-comers, as is Art16, which takes place earlier in the year. Outside of fairs, it's worth a visit to alternative spaces that nurture talent and experimentation like Chinsenhale, Studio Voltaire, and Bold Tendencies. Ultimately, however, I find the most joy in visiting artist studios and spending time getting to know them and their work–that's really where the story begins for the artworks offered on Absolut Art.

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Frieze London

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Under the radar spots...

Two types of destinations that are often overlooked in London are the private collections and auction houses. Private collections twinkle with the eclectic tastes and eccentricities of the patrons who amassed them. Stepping into David Robert's experimental DRAFT, Frank Cohen's laid-back Dairy, or Charles Saatchi's era-defining namesake gallery, is a chance to explore the minds (and vaults) of some of today's most influential collectors. By the same token, auction houses like Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips offer sales previews ranging from contemporary blockbusters to emerging market art to unusual collections like the private collection of David Bowie currently on view at Sotheby's.

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Inspiring locations...

I was recently charmed by Somerset. In the unassuming 3,000-person town of Burton, mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth has transformed a derelict 17th century Durslade Farm into Hauser & Wirth Somerset, a serene gallery and sculpture garden. Louise Bourgeois' spiders roam the grounds, Subodh Gupta's 17-foot steel pots sprout from rolling hills, and Martin Creed's neon signs puncture the open air. While there are cottages onsite, I recommend staying at Babbington House, a lush countryside lullaby that is an inspiration unto itself.

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